Law on Consumer Protection
The new 2026 law governs consumers’ relationships with traders, information, contracts, complaints and unfair practices. It also covers digital content and services, with specific transitional rules.
Avangarda does not provide legal representation. These materials are here to inform and to make rights easier to understand. For a concrete legal procedure, contact a lawyer, legal aid service or the relevant institution.
Consumer rights / purchases and services
Serbia’s Law on Consumer Protection protects individuals purchasing goods or services outside their business activities. It governs information, unfair commercial practices, contracts, complaints, digital content and services, certain services of general economic interest and consumer dispute resolution. Buyer status and service type matter: a business purchase is not automatically a consumer transaction.
Consumers can check pre-purchase information, agreed characteristics and available responses where performance does not meet the trader’s obligations. Conformity and a commercial guarantee are different concepts. A guarantee’s terms are not necessarily the only basis for protection. Distance purchases, digital services and particular goods require checking the relevant regime, including exceptions and temporal scope.
Keep purchase evidence, the offer description, contract, correspondence and details of the problem. A complaint should identify the particular failure and requested solution. Complaining to the trader, out-of-court resolution and court protection are distinct steps. Consumer associations and competent authorities may have relevant functions, but contacting a body does not automatically oblige a trader to accept every demand. Financial services and certain special sectors also involve separate legislation. Article 63 requires the trader to answer a complaint in writing or electronically without delay, no later than eight days after receipt. This response is distinct from final resolution of the complaint.
The current law was published in Official Gazette 35/2026 on 23 April 2026. Under the verified formula in its final provisions, entry into force is 1 May and general application 1 August 2026; specified provisions apply earlier. It replaces law 88/2021 when application begins. Unfinished proceedings continue under the rules under which they started, while digital content and services have further temporal distinctions. Deadlines and conditions should therefore not be copied from the old version. The specific official Legal Information System source and enacted parliamentary text allow checking the new law and its transition.
This is Avangarda’s editorial information overview, rather than the statutory text or advice for an individual case. This translation is editorial and is not an official translation of Serbian legislation. Check the current official text, special legislation and your documents for a specific situation, and obtain qualified legal assistance where needed.
What is this for?
Helps identify consumer status, the basis of a complaint and the appropriate protection route under the new law.
Who can use it?
Individuals buying outside business activities, traders, consumer associations and representatives.
When should it be used?
For faulty goods or services, unclear offers, complaints, digital purchases and consumer disputes.